Dalmatian pelican

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Dalmatian pelican
Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) (in splendor)

Dalmatian pelican ( Pelecanus crispus )
(in splendor )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pelecaniformes
Family : Pelicans (Pelecanidae)
Genre : Pelicans ( pelecanus )
Type : Dalmatian pelican
Scientific name
Pelecanus crispus
Bruch , 1832
Dalmatian pelican in simple dress
Young Dalmatian Pelican in flight
The Dalmatian pelican has a wingspan of over 3 meters.
An overflying group of Dalmatian pelicans
A Dalmatian Pelican on Lake Prespa , where the largest European breeding population is located.
Dalmatian pelicans in Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo
The Dalmatian pelican uses its beak with a throat pouch like a landing net when fishing
Hybrid between the Dalmatian and the Great White Pelican ( P. crispus × onocrotalus ) in the Gelsenkirchen Zoo. The bird shows characteristics of both species.

The Dalmatian Pelican ( Pelecanus crispus ) belongs to the family of pelicans (Pelecanidae). It is a breeding bird from south-eastern Europe across parts of Central Asia to Mongolia . During the post-glacial temperature optimum around 8000 years ago, Dalmatian pelicans also lived in southern Scandinavia for several centuries. This is proven by bone finds from Stone Age settlement sites. In 2006 the species was first detected in Germany as a random visitor .

description

With a body length of 160–180 cm, a body weight of 10 to 13 kg and a wingspan of 310–345 cm, the Dalmatian pelican is significantly larger than a mute swan . Together with the sometimes larger and heavier, but mostly similarly large, Great White Pelican , it is one of the largest species of the genus. The sexes do not differ in appearance, but females are on average smaller than males.

Adult birds

The beak is between 370 and 450 mm long and in adult birds at the mating season black-gray with a yellow upper beak edge and an orange “nail” on the tip. The throat pouch is then red-orange with an occasional black stripe along the transition to the lower beak. Outside the mating season, the beak is rather gray with flesh-colored sides, the throat pouch is orange to yellowish. The iris is whitish to light blue with a narrow, blue outer ring and yellowish spots. The bare skin of the face is less extensive than that of the white pelican. It is limited to the area around the eye and the reins. At the mating season it is yellow-orange with a rather light yellow lower part and a dark gray border towards the beak; otherwise it is whitish with a slate gray lower part. Legs and feet are dark to medium gray.

The plumage on the head and neck is long, soft and ruffled; During the breeding season, the long, curly head of feathers on the back of the head is noticeable. Outside of the breeding season, the forelock is greatly reduced, but the nape plumage is still elongated into a shaggy mane. Due to the partly visible gray feather bases, the head and neck areas appear greyishly interspersed; The top and bottom as well as the tail, which consists of 22 control feathers, are white. The entire plumage has a silver-gray powder-coated appearance through fine, blackish shaft lines on the visible part of the feathers. This is particularly evident in large, presumably older specimens. During the breeding season, a yellowish or ocher-colored to red spot is pronounced on the crop, which is caused by the external coloring of the plumage. The upper wing is blackish with a greyish tinge on the thumb wing , hand wings and larger hand covers; the arm wings are blackish with silver-gray outer hems, which become lighter towards the feathers . The outer large arm covers have black shaft lines and gray to brown-black centers. The rest of the upper wing is pure white. The lower wings are largely light gray with dark wing tips and white large forearm covers that form a bright wing band.

Youth dresses

In juvenile birds, the beak is gray with a slightly darker upper beak. The “nail” at the top soon turns horn-colored yellow to orange. The throat pouch is yellowish-flesh-colored. The iris is brownish, the bare eye area is whitish with a darker gray lower edge. The head of feathers on the back of the head is short and pointed, somewhat reminiscent of the upright mane of a wild horse and runs a little way down the neck. The head and neck are light gray with more white parting and posterior ear covers. The brown-gray feather bases make the area appear dark to a very variable extent. From the lower neck, the underside is matt white. Upper back, shoulder feathers and upper wing-coverts are brownish gray, whereby the small upper wing coverts are whitish at the wing base, the large upper wing coverts have dark centers and get clear whitish fringes towards the wing base. The wings are black, the wings and hand covers are predominantly blackish-brown. The under wing coverts and axillary feathers are matt white, the wings darkly pointed. The posterior back and upper tail-coverts are whitish, the control feathers silver-gray to brownish with white inner flags. The entire plumage shows dark feather shafts. Legs and feet are gray and may have a yellowish tinge to the sole.

The adult dress is apparently only fully developed after a few years. Often remains of dark feathers can also be seen in breeding and feeding birds. The curly head of adult birds is still missing in the second year. The upper side becomes more intensely white bit by bit, which begins with the arm cover field between the smaller and the largest arm covers.

Hybrids

Hybrids with both pink and red chalk pelicans occur in human care . Despite mixed colonies, this has not yet been detected in nature. If wild hybrids are observed, they are always captive refugees .

voice

The vocal utterances of the Dalmatian pelican can be divided into bleating and grunting sounds, on the one hand, and hissing, hissing or moaning sounds on the other. In addition, there are instrumental sounds that are generated with the beak. The analysis of the meaning of individual sounds is difficult because of the high noise level in the colonies.

Adult Dalmatian Pelicans are not very fond of shouting. Occasionally the birds greet each other with a soft, drawn-out hiss. The warning call is a hoarse barking wò wò wò , the threatening sound is a long hiss. Different hissing sounds can be heard during courtship and copula, which sound more dull in the male and lighter in the female. A beak valve is used on various occasions.

The vocalizations of the boys (audio sample) consist of series of calls that tend to be deeper, sheep-like bleating sounds, which can be varied depending on the degree of excitement and intensify especially during the feeding. Depending on whether the beak is open, they can be described as a dull muoh mouh mouh or as a lighter wah wah wah .

Distribution and existence

The brood distribution of the Dalmatian pelican is limited to the Palearctic . It ranges from the very scattered occurrences in south-eastern Europe to the east of Central Asia, where the species occurs in western Mongolia . The world population is estimated at about 4000-5000 breeding pairs (BP), with about 2700-3500 BP most of them in the countries of the former Soviet Union ( Russia , Azerbaijan , Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan ). The European population is estimated at 1,600–2,000 breeding pairs. There is a very small population of less than ten breeding pairs in Iran . The occurrence in Mongolia is apparently almost extinct; the last estimate was only 50 breeding pairs.

Distribution areas of the Dalmatian pelican ( Pelecanus crispus )
(green = breeding areas, dark green = year-round occurrence, light blue = migration, blue = wintering areas)

The species suffered severe population losses in Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries due to habitat destruction, disturbance in the colonies, persecution by fishermen and hunting. The decline lasted into the 1970s and 1980s, after which the population stabilized in the few remaining colonies. Today, Greece has the largest populations with around 1400–1500 breeding pairs, Romania with 400–550 BP, European Russia with 350–450 BP and Turkey with around 220–250 BP. The inventory trend is positive in Europe, but continues to decline worldwide. The species is therefore regarded as endangered (“vulnerable”) .

Probably the world's largest colony with 500–1400 breeding pairs is located on Lake Prespa in Greece, one occurrence on neighboring Lake Ohrid has been extinct. The second largest European deposits found in the area of the Danube Delta , where brooding about 320-410 pairs in Romania and in the Ukraine located Kuhurluy contrast, only 10-12 pairs. In Bulgaria there is a colony with 20–110 breeding pairs on the Danube in Srebarna . In Montenegro , extensive conservation efforts made it possible to increase the breeding population at Lake Skadar to over 100 birds in 2017, and in Albania around 11-62 BPs breed in the Karavasta lagoon .

Five colonies were known in Turkey in 2010: in the Gediz Delta (35–87 BP), on Manyas Gölü (35–40 BP), in the Delta of the Great Meander (42 BP), on Lake Karzachi (5–10 BP) and at Işıklı Gölü (6 BP).

The species has become extinct in numerous other places in Europe. In some cases, the living space conditions there have changed dramatically due to drainage. For example, the Dalmatian pelican was found in Hungary on the Tisza , in Serbia in the marshes of Vojvodina , in the Danube floodplains of the Romanian Calafat , in northern Bulgaria and in Dalmatia , on the Crna Reka in Macedonia , on the Greek rivers Kalamas , Acheloos and Vardar , in the Evros Delta and the Dniester Delta in Ukraine.

Although the species and its breeding colonies are protected almost everywhere, protective measures are often not implemented consistently enough. The main sources of danger are still habitat destruction through drainage and hydraulic engineering changes, but also disturbances in the colonies by birds and photographers, and more rarely persecution by fishermen or illegal hunting. Environmental pollution and toxins such as DDE , heavy metals or organochlorine compounds can have a significant effect on breeding success. In addition, many birds die on unsecured overhead lines . Protective measures can include the restrictive protection of the colonies, the prevention of hunting, the establishment of breeding rafts , the preservation or renaturation of habitats, the disarming of overhead lines and public relations work.

hikes

While the European population consists of standing or barnacles , Asian Dalmatian pelicans usually travel longer distances. The birds of western Russia seem to migrate in a west or west-southwest direction and, like the European population, to remain in the eastern Mediterranean. Central Asian birds migrate south, where they winter from Iran eastwards across the Indian subcontinent . The migration routes of the (possibly extinct) Mongolian population lead across the Gulf of Bohai and the coasts of Shandong and Jiangsu to southeast China.

The breeding birds arrive in the Danube Delta in March and pass from August. The main migration period in Burgas is between mid-September and the end of October.

Evidence of this kind from northern and western Europe has so far been assumed to be prisoner refugees. It is noticeable, however, that the time of the sightings coincides very precisely with population increases, good breeding successes or weather-related evasive movements.

habitat

The Dalmatian pelican breeds on rivers, lakes, river deltas and estuaries , which must be rich in fish. Presumably, the species used to only occur in freshwater inland, but today some colonies in brackish water zones are also known. In contrast to the great white pelican, it does not need any lowlands and also breeds in smaller colonies. It is therefore preferred in protected lakes in the hills and mountains with open water surfaces and extensive reed beds, but less often in extensive low-lying swamps. The breeding and sleeping places must be safe from soil enemies and are therefore always away from the shore on islands, sand banks or in isolated reed areas. In Srebarna, the species breeds on floating reeds with a pronounced humus layer, so-called “plaurs”. The feeding grounds can be a little further away from the breeding area and consist of open, calm lakes or floodplains . When the sea is calm, the species can also be found fishing a bit far away from the coast on the open sea.

Shallow lakes (jheels) and lagoons are typically used for wintering in India, and ice-free lakes in Europe. The species is also resistant to short periods of frost of 7–10 days.

nutrition

The Dalmatian pelican feeds on fish that are caught with the netting-like beak from the water near the surface - pelicans cannot dive. Typically the species fishes singly, in twos or threes. It is less common for larger groups to form, which at first swim leisurely next to each other, then round up fish by flapping their wings and then quickly dip their heads into the water to catch them. The foraging grounds are mostly in different waters than the breeding colony. The birds usually fly 5–10 km, but sometimes - as in the Danube Delta - up to 50 km.

Due to the way they are fed, fish that live in shallow water are mainly caught, and it is said that they prefer scaly or finely-scaled species. The proven species include carp , crucian carp , tench , river perch , rudd , but also roach , alandes , pike up to 50 cm in length and eels . In winter quarters on the Nile, catfish of the genera Siluranodon , Schilbe , Clarias , Bagrus and Heterobranchus were found to be prey. The daily food requirement for fish is estimated at 1200 g.

Reproduction

Egg ( Museum Wiesbaden Collection )

Dalmatian pelicans probably do not become sexually mature until they are three or four years old. They have a monogamous seasonal marriage and breed one brood per year. The breeding season begins in late March to early April. The species occasionally breeds in single pairs, but mostly in colonies of up to 250 birds. There are also mixed colonies with the white pelican.

The nest is always on the water, so that it can be reached by swimming or without a route over land. Usually the colony consists of large nest heaps in which the nests are quite close together so that the breeding birds almost touch. The distance between the nests, measured from the respective nest center, is about 55–115 cm. The diameter of the individual nest is around 50 cm, that of the nesting trough around 30 cm. Individual nests measure up to 1.5 m and are about 1 m high. The nest is made of reeds, grasses, twigs and other plant material. During the breeding season, these are trampled down and firmly baked together by the excrement of the birds. In the following years, old nests are often increased, new nests are usually docked to the existing nest heaps. Even while the eggs are being incubated, building is often continued. Both sexes take part in the construction, with the male usually bringing in the nesting material.

The clutch consists of 1–2, rarely 3 eggs. Larger clutches most likely come from several females; this may also be the case with three-way layers. The eggs are quite variable in size and shape and can be elongated or short-oval. The dimensions are on average 95 × 60 mm, the length varying between 73 and 106 and the width between 53 and 64 mm. At first they are snow-white and over time they become stained and dirty gray. The laying time extends from late March to mid-May, June or mid-July at the latest, with most eggs in a colony being laid within three weeks and exceptions being rare. The incubation period is 30–34 days. Both parents breed and begin to do so after the first egg is deposited, which is why the young hatch asynchronously.

At first the nestlings are naked and helpless, with the head lying on the nest floor and not being lifted until the second day. First of all, the parents spit pre-digested food into the nest, later they take it out of their throat pouch. After two and a half weeks they leave the nest and gather in a kind of “nursery” in the middle of the colony. From the age of 4–5 weeks they flee to the water when they are in danger, at 10–11 weeks they spend the entire day there and only visit the colony at night. They are still fed by their parents on the water, but they are already starting to fish independently. After about 12 weeks they are fully fledged and after 14-15 weeks completely independent. During this time the colony begins to dissolve.

literature

  • Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim , KM Bauer : Handbook of the birds of Central Europe. Volume 1: Gaviiformes - Phoenicopteriformes. AULA-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1993/2001 (first edition 1966), ISBN 3-923527-00-4 , pp. 287-297.
  • Andrew Elliott, David Christie, Francesc Jutglar, Arnau Bonan: Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus). In: Josep del Hoyo , Andrew Elliott, David Christie: Handbook of the Birds of the World . Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions 1992 (revision 2012), p. 310.
  • Alain Crivelli, Tanu Michev: Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) in Ward JM Hagemeijer, Michael J. Blair: The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds - their distribution and abundance , T & AD Poyser, London 1997, ISBN 0-85661-091- 7 , p. 33
  • Alain J. Crivelli: Action Plan for the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) in Europe , European Bird Species Action Plans 1996, ( PDF )
  • Ortaç Onmuş, Mehmet Sıkı, Gürdogăr Sarıgül, Alain J. Crivelli: Status and development of the population of the globally threatened Dalmatian Pelican, Pelecanus crispus, in Turkey , Zoology in the Middle East 54, Kasparek Verlag, Heidelberg 2011, ISSN  0939-7140 , Pp. 3-17
  • Hans-Günther Bauer, Einhard Bezzel, Wolfgang Fiedler (Hrsg.): The compendium of birds of Central Europe. Aula-Verlag, Wiebelsheim 2012, ISBN 978-3-89104-758-3 , pp. 229-230.

Web links

Commons : Dalmatian Pelican ( Pelecanus crispus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Dalmatian pelican  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Pelicans, turtles, sturgeons and harp seals in Schleswig-Holstein: Exotics on the Stone Age Baltic Sea, by Ulrich Schmölcke and Aikaterini Glykou (PDF; 634 kB) Writings of the Natural Science Association for Schleswig-Holstein 69 (2007): 41-52. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  2. ↑ Cf. Wegst, Christian: The Dalmatian Pelican, a new species for Germany. Limicola, Volume 22 (2008), pages 161-176
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Elliott et al. (1992), see literature
  4. ↑ a b c d e f Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 288f, see literature
  5. ^ Eugene M. McCarthy: Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World , Oxford University Press, New York 2006, ISBN 978-0-19-518323-8 , p. 193
  6. ↑ Le Pélican de l'Etang de Berre , photos of a hybrid in France, accessed December 16, 2015
  7. ↑ a b c Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 290, see literature
  8. ↑ Andre BOUCHER, Odile BOUCHER: XC137864 Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus (MP3) xeno-canto.org. May 14, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  9. ↑ Behrouz Behrouzi-Rada: Wintering Position and first Record of Breeding of Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus on Tiff Island in Khore Mosa in Persian Gulf in 2010 , Octa Journal of Environmental Research, Vol. 1 (2), 2013, ISSN  2321-3655 , Pp. 77–88, ( PDF download )
  10. ↑ Bauer et al. (2012), see literature
  11. ↑ BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Dalmatian Pelican ( Pelecanus crispus ) . Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  12. ↑ Lake Mikri Prespa and Lake Megali Prespa , BirdLife Site Factsheet, accessed October 29, 2013
  13. ↑ a b Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 290f, see literature
  14. ^ Danube Delta , BirdLife Site Factsheet, accessed October 29, 2013
  15. ↑ Kugurluj and Kartal lakes , BirdLife Site Factsheet, accessed October 29, 2013
  16. ^ Srebarna , BirdLife Site Factsheet, accessed October 29, 2013
  17. ↑ Krausköpfe im Brutfieber , EuroNatur Magazin 2/2017, p. 23, ( PDF ), accessed on July 23, 2017
  18. ↑ Karavasta Lagoon , BirdLife Site Factsheet, accessed October 29, 2013
  19. ↑ a b Onmuş et al. (2010), see literature
  20. ^ Gediz Delta , BirdLife Site Factsheet, accessed October 29, 2013
  21. ↑ Manyas Lake (Kuş Lake) , BirdLife Site Factsheet, accessed October 29, 2013
  22. ↑ Büyük Menderes Delta , BirdLife Site Factsheet, accessed October 29, 2013
  23. ↑ Kartsakhi Lake , BirdLife Site Fact Sheet, accessed on 29 October 2013
  24. ↑ Crivelli / Michev (1997), see literature
  25. ↑ a b c Bauer et al. (2012), p. 230, see literature
  26. ↑ a b c d Crivelli (1996): Action Plan for the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) in Europe , p. 4, see literature
  27. ↑ a b Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 292, see literature
  28. ↑ Glutz von Blotzheim, pp. 295 and 286 f, see literature
  29. ↑ a b c Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 296 f, see literature
  30. ↑ a b c d e f Glutz v. Blotzheim, p. 292f, see literature
  31. ↑ Glutz v. Blotzheim, p. 296, see literature